Any other problem that might plague Kahnawake pales in comparison to this one simple fact: the reserve’s growing population is exhausting what remains of its territory. With nearby South Shore suburbs inching to the reserve’s borders, finding a resolution to the land question seems increasingly difficult.

Last week the Kahnawake band council finalized a report outlining the demands of its community members as it moves toward a new round of land claim negotiations with the federal government. Though the report is confidential, Grand Chief Joe Norton made it clear there’s one point the Mohawks won’t back down from.

“This is our land, we’re not surrendering any of it,” Norton told the Montreal Gazette. “A lot of these negotiations come down to a cash settlement in return for the surrendering of lands. That’s unacceptable to us.”

This may present a serious problem to the federal government. Kahnawake’s 45,000-acre claim stretches from Châteauguay to St-Lambert — a swath that encompasses nine Montreal suburbs. Most of the land Kahnawake wants to recover has already been converted into housing, strip malls, factory farms and gas stations.

But one expert says that while finding a solution may be difficult, it isn’t impossible.

“There are certainly precedents where urban lands can be recovered,” said Christa Scholtz, who teaches aboriginal politics at McGill University. “The Kahnawake issue is in line with the modern reality of land claim negotiations. Money is simply not enough. Compensation is part of the package but it can’t be seen as the only way forward. Reconciliation requires more than writing a cheque.”

Scholtz points to the 2008 Tsawwassen Agreement as an example of how an urban land claim settlement can work. Under the agreement — signed with the British Columbia and federal governments — the Tsawwassen’s land base doubled and potential new revenue streams could make the reserve independent from federal transfer payments.

However, the deal is not without its critics and some provisions have been controversial. Under terms of the agreement, the Tsawwassen First Nation is absorbed into Metro Vancouver and it will lose its tax-exempt status before the end of the decade.

Asked about the prospect of giving up tax-exempt status, Norton dismissed the idea outright.

The Kahnawake claim dates back to the 17th century, when the King of France granted roughly 45,000 acres to the Mohawks south of Montreal. Since that decree was signed, much of Kahnawake’s land base has been eaten up by neighbouring suburbs, the construction of the Mercier Bridge, Highway 30, the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Canadian Pacific Railroad. Today, only about 13,000 acres house Kahnawake’s 8,000 residents. With a population that’s doubled since 1974, locals say there’s little space left to accommodate young families.

Further complicating matters is a disputed slither of land slated for development just south of Kahnawake. The provincial government was meant to return 300 acres to the Mohawks in 2013 to compensate for territory lost during the construction of Highway 30.

But a group of neighbouring municipalities, led by Châteauguay, are blocking the transfer in court and, last December, the provincial Liberals tabled a bill that would convert some of that land into a “development corridor.”

“This undermines the whole negotiation process,” said Norton. “It’s disruptive and it throws uncertainty into the mix.”

The dispute appeared to boil over shortly after Norton’s election as Grand Chief last summer, when he called for a community-wide boycott on Châteauguay businesses in response to the court battle. Kahnawake residents inject an estimated $40 million into the economies of neighbouring cities each year and employ 1,000 non-Mohawks in a variety of jobs inside the reserve, according to band council statistics.

If the transfer of 300 acres is a such a flashpoint, it begs the question of how the question of how 30,000 could conceivably be returned to the Mohawks.

At a press conference last week, council Chief Christine Zachary-Deom said Kahnawake is “nowhere near” a settlement agreement with Ottawa but that the process is moving along.

Last summer the federal government offered Akwesasne — a sister community of Kahnawake’s —$239 million to surrender its land claim. The money could be used to buy 7,400 acres in land from neighbouring communities but only on a voluntary basis.

However, Akwesasne is mostly bordered by farmland rather than the suburban sprawl that encircles Kahnawake.

While Norton appeared unwilling to make major concessions on the band’s land claim, he insists his goal is to ensure the future of his people and also develop a better working relationship with nearby South Shore cities.

“We’re contributors and we’re neighbours and I hope some people can open their hearts and minds and see that,” said Norton. “Nobody’s totally sovereign, we all depend on each other for something.”

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